Court won't hear argument over ballot substitution

WASHINGTON 
The Supreme Court will not get involved in a Massachusetts dispute over whether election officials were within their rights to block the name of the Libertarian Party's national presidential candidate from the state ballot in 2008.

The court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Bob Barr and the state Libertarian party.

The party had initially put a local presidential contender on its nomination papers.

State officials said the party could not then substitute the name of national Libertarian candidate Barr. A judge intervened and Barr received less than 1 percent of the vote.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has said the state's ballot laws are nondiscriminatory and that Barr had enough time to collect the needed 10,000 signatures.